I Do Not Frustrate the Grace of God

Q: What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

The Bible teaches that the grace of God is essential for salvation, revealing God's character and purpose in redeeming sinners through Christ's death. The grace of God is a fundamental tenet of Christian faith, serving as the means through which sinners are reconciled to God. According to Scripture, grace is not merely a doctrine to be argued but a manifestation of God's very character and love for humanity. In Galatians 2:21, Paul emphasizes not to frustrate this grace, highlighting how crucial it is in the context of righteousness and Christ's sacrifice. The grace of God provides the righteousness needed for salvation, as demonstrated in Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works. This grace encompasses all aspects of salvation, reflecting God's merciful intent to redeem those who place their faith in Christ, who died for our sins and rose again.

Q: How do we know Christ's death is sufficient for salvation?

Christ's death is sufficient for salvation as it provided complete atonement for sin, meaning no further sacrifice is needed. The sufficiency of Christ's death is a cornerstone of Reformed theology, firmly rooted in Scripture. Hebrews 10:10 states that Christ’s sacrifice was made once for all, removing the need for continual offerings. This understanding is reinforced by Romans 6:23, which teaches that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. His death satisfies the justice of God, fulfilling the law's requirements. This doctrine of particular redemption asserts that Christ died specifically for the elect, those whom God has chosen, ensuring their salvation. Therefore, believers can have absolute confidence in the efficacy of Christ's death, knowing that it completely atones for sin and guarantees eternal life.

Q: Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

The righteousness of God is essential for Christians as it is through Christ's righteousness that believers are justified before God. The righteousness of God plays a critical role in the doctrine of justification, which is the act by which God declares sinners righteous. According to Romans 3:22, the righteousness of God is attained through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. This righteousness is not based on human merit or works but is imputed to believers because of Christ's perfect obedience and sacrificial death. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul articulates that God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This exchange—our sin for His righteousness—is foundational for Christian assurance and security in salvation, highlighting that our standing before God is secure not because of our efforts, but solely through Christ's righteousness.

Q: How does grace relate to works in salvation?

Grace is the sole means of salvation, distinct from works, which cannot contribute to our righteousness before God. In Reformed theology, it is critical to understand the distinction between grace and works in the context of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 unequivocally asserts that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works, lest anyone should boast. This passage highlights that any attempt to combine grace with works undermines the very essence of the gospel. Romans 11:6 reinforces this by declaring if it is by grace, then it cannot be based on works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace. The implication is that salvation is a gift from God, freely given, and accepted by faith, with good works resulting from genuine faith but not contributing to salvation itself. This understanding emphasizes the unmerited favor of God in saving sinners, establishing a clear division between divine grace and human efforts.

Now, if you will, open your Bibles
again to the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 2, sort of summing up our ministry
here and our message I want to borrow the words of Paul in chapter
2, verse 21, in which he said, I do not frustrate
the grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain. I think this is a great
and grave and important statement. And the importance of it lies
in the three things mentioned. Do you see the three things here?
The three things he mentioned in verse 21. I do not frustrate
the grace of God, the grace of God. righteousness, if righteousness
come by the law. This is the righteousness of
God. We have the grace of God and
the righteousness of God. Then he said Christ is dead in
vain. There's the death of God. The
grace of God, the righteousness of God, and the death of God.
Oh, I wish, and as I preach and travel and grow older, how I
wish that for a while that we could just forget all the issues,
issues. Men are confused and confounded
with so many dumb issues. Did you know that? There aren't
issues at all. That after a man dies and lies
in the grave, These issues mean absolutely nothing. Nothing. Traditions. We're just steeped
in traditions. We do things the way we do them
because somebody else did them. I heard a story this week about
a friend who ate a roast at a neighbor's
house She said to the neighbor, I've got to have the recipe,
how you prepared that roast. She said, well, I'll show you. You go get a roast, and I'll
show you. So she went down, bought a roast, and brought it home.
And they put it on the chopping block there, whatever, on the
counter, and did all the things to it. And they marinated it
and put the whatever you ladies do. I don't know what in the
world you do. But she said, now before you put it in the pan,
cut the end off, the corner off. So she took a knife, cut the
corner off, put it in the pan. It was fine. Next day they were
talking and she said to the neighbor, she said, the roast was wonderful.
And she said, I know now how to fix it and I wrote it down,
but why did we cut the corner off? And the lady who gave her the
recipe said, well, that's the way my mother did it. I got the
recipe from my mother. And she fixed it like, and she
always cut the corner off. So they went over to her mother's
house. And her mother, up in years, you know, was sitting
there doing her crocheting or whatever. And they said, we,
this lady, the visiting lady said, your daughter gave me your
roast recipe. Oh, I'm glad. She said, and we
prepared it. And it was delicious. I'm glad. But she said, there's one thing
I don't understand about all the preparation. I understand
all of it, but why do we cut the corner off? Why'd you cut
the corner off? Well, your daughter said, you
always cut it off. Why'd you cut it off? She said, my pan
wasn't long enough. I bet you we could go through
some of the things we, people do in religion, they'd find out
that they did them because the pan wasn't long enough, not because
God commanded it. I wish we could get rid of customs,
confusion created by religious con artists. I wish we could come face to
face, stripped of all of those things in the background and
face these three things right here, the grace of God, the righteousness
of God, and the death of God. And today's pulpit, all over
this nation today, voices will ring forth from the pulpit about
all kinds of things, all kinds of things, morality, the church,
The church. There's no church without Christ.
The church doesn't exist without Christ. The church is His body.
I don't know why we're studying the body so much. We need to
find out about the head. The church, the baptisms, the
mold, the regulations. You won't believe it. The two
of our members moved to Florida. And they were going to join a
Baptist church in Florida. And the pastor, before he had
received them, wrote to me and wanted to know how this church
was organized 35 years ago. He wanted to make sure we had
the right credentials when we were organized before he had
received those two members. Things like that are horrible.
that we become steeped in such ritualism. We ridicule the old
Jew with his ritualism. This generation is just as bad,
or worse. They had a reason for what they
did. Wrapped up, you'll hear these voices today, the law,
creation, healings, gifts, prophecies, stewardship. Heaven and hell. I do believe
if the pulpit, if every pulpit, if the pulpit and the pew would
face and deal with these three things today, the grace of God,
the righteousness of God, and the death of God, oh, everything
else would fall in place. Don't you think so? Don't you
believe it would? It would fall in. You see, all that this center
needs All that this center needs, all
that this center needs that pertains to God and to life and to salvation
and glory and all that heaven demands and heaven requires is
found right here in these three things. In the grace of God,
in the righteousness of Christ, in the death of my Lord. And
that's what Paul is saying. I don't frustrate these things.
I don't confuse them. I don't compromise them. I don't mix them. I don't confound
them. I don't present them in such
a way that people go away saying, what did he say? Under God, what
did he say? God didn't call us to be clever.
He called us to preach Christ. God didn't call us to entertain
men or fascinate men or impress men. He called us to instruct
me in the things of God. Preaching is communication. If
you're not communicating, you're not preaching. If I'm not communicating
to these children, to these young people, if they can't hear me
and understand me and know what I'm saying, I'm not preaching. What the problem is, we're preaching
ourselves and not Christ. And people are going out saying,
what a wonderful sermon, instead of saying, what a wonderful Savior.
That's exactly right. We're impressing folks. We're
depressing them is what we're doing. Because after I've been
impressed, I usually get depressed. Father said, I don't frustrate.
Now here's what I believe he's saying in this word, frustrate.
I do not frustrate the grace of God, the righteousness of
God, and the death of God by treating it lightly, as if it were a matter of minor
importance. Oh, I tell you, if a man's not
clear in his heart on these three things, he's in deep trouble.
Isn't that correct? I don't treat it lightly. I don't
treat, I'll just tell you from the start of this service, when
I stand up here and open this book, I don't treat any of it
lightly. What a fearful thing to come
into the presence of God. And even singing that ancient
hymn, the reading of the Word, I don't treat it lightly. There'll come a day, there'll
come a day, there'll come a day. when some men will wish that
they could attend one more service and hear the Word read one more
time and sing those great songs just one more time. Just one
more time. I don't treat it lightly. I don't
frustrate the grace of God by treating it lightly. Secondly,
he said, I don't frustrate. That is, I don't confuse it or
compromise it. This is what I found in England. This is what I find in a lot
of places in this country. A compromising of the gospel
to take the sting and the offense out of it. To take the edge off of it. You
take the edge off the sword, you might as well throw the sword
away. Isn't that correct? Blunt it and dull it and throw
it away. It's of no use. The Lord is God. The Lord is
God. He's God Almighty. He's Sovereign
God. Don't take the edge off that.
Don't fix that so that a natural man can receive it without believing
the Lord is God. Sons of Adam are sons of Adam.
Everything that Adam is of the earth, earthy, depraved, and
dead, without hope, without God, without Christ in this world.
Is that so? But don't take the edge off of
it. Don't fix it so it won't offend. It has to offend. The preaching of the gospel is
offensive to the dignity of men. The dignity of God and the dignity
of the sinner can't stand together. One of them has got to go down. Salvation is of the Lord. It's
of the Lord from Alpha to Omega. I'm not going to confuse that
or confound that or compromise that. I don't have to. Paul said
necessity is laid upon me. I must preach the gospel. Woe
is unto me if I don't preach the gospel. The blood of Christ maketh atonement
for the soul. Anybody here doubt that? I know
you don't. You wouldn't be here. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses
us from all sin. The blood, the blood, the blood.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing. Nothing but the blood
of Jesus. What can make me holy? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. It's effectual, it's sufficient,
it's peculiar, it's particular. He died for the elect. He died
for his sheep. He redeemed his own. He did not
fail. Either hath the Son of God hath
life, either hath not the Son of God hath not life." Paul said,
I don't frustrate that. The smallest child can understand
what I'm saying. Christ's death is sufficient.
And I'm not going to frustrate it, not going to confuse it,
confound it, or compromise it. And I'll tell you something else
he means here. Thirdly, I do not frustrate the grace of God,
the righteousness of God, the death of God, by mixing it with
the law, by mixing it with the works of men, by mixing it with
the duties of religion. He said, Brethren, when I came
to you, I didn't come with excellency of speech, declaring unto you
the gospel of God. I was not trying to impress men
with my intellectualism and my knowledge. He said, I determine
to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified,
that your faith should not stand in my wisdom, but in the power
of God, who is Christ. My friends, don't mix the gospel
with anything. It's all of grace or it's all
of works. It can't be a mixture. It's all
of grace. It's free. It's not for sale. If salvation is by grace alone,
then Christ's death is effectual and sufficient for all whom he
died. Is that not right? Let's look at a couple of scriptures.
Let's look at Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. Romans 6, verse 16. Romans 11,
verse 5. Romans 11, 5. Even so then, at
this present time also, There is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if it's by grace, then it's
no more of works. Otherwise, grace is not grace.
But if it be of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work
is not work. You see, it can't be both. I
tell you, I'm glad it's by grace than it might be by faith. I'm
glad. All of God, salvation, all of
God, all of grace, all of Christ for all who believe. Is that
all right? All of God, all of grace, all
of Christ for all who believe. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourself. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. With His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus, unto good works. And then I believe, fourthly,
he meant this. Now, I want you to really listen to me carefully.
I do not frustrate the grace of God by treating it lightly. I do not frustrate the grace
of God by compromising it, taking the offense out and the edge
off. And I do not frustrate the grace of God by trying to mix
it with anything I do or you do. But fourthly, I do not frustrate
the grace of God by preaching it as a doctrine. Grace is not a doctrine. I know we talk about the doctrines
of grace, but believe me, grace is not a doctrine to be argued. Grace is not a system of theology
to be learned. Grace is not a name to be worn
to separate me from somebody else. Well, what is it? What is grace? The grace of God. The grace of
God. Well, I'll tell you what it is.
The grace of God, the righteousness of God, and the death of God.
Watch this. The grace of God that provides
the righteousness of God for sinners through the death of
God is a revelation of the very character of God. It's not just a doctrine. It's
not just to be argued in a system of doctrine to make for ourselves
a creed. But the grace of God that provides
the righteousness of God for sinners through the death of
God is a revelation of the very character of God. He said to Moses, Moses says,
show me your glory, show me your character, show me yourself. That's what the disciples were
asking the Lord Jesus, show us the Father. Moses says, show me your glory,
show me your character, show me... God said, alright, I'll
cause my goodness, my goodness to pass before you. and I'll
be merciful to whom I will be merciful, I'll be gracious to
whom I will be gracious. But God's mercy and God's grace
has got to be consistent with God's righteousness. So this
gospel of the grace of God Providing righteousness for the chief of
sinners through the blood and death of his son is a declaration
of how God can be good and gracious and merciful to the chief of
sinners and at the same time be holy, just and righteous. So it's not a doctrine, it's
a revelation of God. And when the disciples said,
show us the Father, the Lord Jesus said, if you've seen me,
Now, he wasn't talking about seeing him with a certain color
hair and a certain color eyes and a certain features and height
and weight. He was talking about seeing him, who he is, in his
power, in his grace, in his love. See that? Seeming me. He that
seeth the Son and believeth on him hath life. That's not seeing
him in the flesh. Or we'd not have life. Nobody
now could be saved. It's not seeing him in the flesh,
it's seeing the Son. And he that seeth the Son seeth
him that sent the Son. You see that? Oh, I wish we could
get a hold of that. This is the character of God.
God set forth his Son to be a propitiation, to be a mercy seat that he might
be just and justified, where holiness and truth holiness and
love and truth and mercy met together was in Christ. Here's
the Father. Here's the Father. It's the grace
of God providing the righteousness of God for the chief of sinners
through the death of God. That's the character of God.
Huh? That's the character of God.
And not only that, but this grace of God which provides a righteousness
for sinners through the death of God, reveals the will of God. What is the will of God? What
is the purpose of God? What's the program of God? What's
He going to do? He's going to save a people. What God has done, God is doing,
and God will do. The Lord Jesus said, sacrifice
an offering, thou wouldest not. and had no pleasure therein,
but a body hast thou prepared me, and lo, I come, in the volume
of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God." By
which will we are sanctified through the body of Jesus Christ
once for all? Grace is the will of God. Grace is a revelation of the
purpose of God. This grace of God providing righteousness
for folks like me through the death of His beloved Son reveals
to me His covenant, His purpose, His plan, His counsel, all that
God decreed is in this right here. And men sit around and they learn
five points. No, total depravity, unconditional
extradictory, irresistible grace and perseverance, and put on
their brass nuts, spit on their hands, and go out and make war. They don't know grace, they know
a doctrine. Grace ain't no doctrine. Grace
is God, the character of God. You see what I'm trying to say? make war, declare war. Sort of glad they're the only
ones that believe it, I think. They get mad and somebody...
Some people came here one time from Chicago Heights, Illinois,
years ago. A dear lady and her husband came
here and I preached. They stayed Sunday morning and
Sunday night. And they went back home. And I got a letter from
her. This auditorium was almost full
like it is now, both services. I got a letter from her. And
the letter said to her, Brother Mann, she said, we enjoyed meeting
you, enjoyed attending the service, and enjoyed the message. But you must not be preaching
the gospel of God's grace all the time or you wouldn't have
that many people. She said, my dear old father
preached Calvinism, and he never did have over ten. I bet I know why he didn't have
over ten. Either he preached Calvinism, he didn't preach Christ. There's a difference. Right,
Jim? There's a difference. Christ. You can preach Calvinism,
you can preach the church. You can preach creation. You
can preach a lot of things and not preach Christ. But I tell
you, if you preach Christ, you preach grace. That's right, because that's
what grace, the grace of God. I'll tell you this, the grace
of God that provides the righteousness of God for a sinner like me through
the death of God is the only hope for this sinner. That's
my hope. That's my hope. It's not just
a doctrine, it's not just a creed, it's not just a position to argue.
This is my hope. Christ in you, that's the hope,
John. John, we're getting close to
the end. That's my hope. I am what I am by the grace of
God. What made you what you are? The
grace of God, right? By the grace of God. Christ in
you. Grace is not a way, it's the
way. You see, this message, this gospel
of grace, is not a doctrine you learn after you've saved. The grace of God that provides
the righteousness for sinners through the death of His Son
is the very foundation and plea and testimony of everybody who
is saved. Now, I'm telling the truth. I
hear people say they got saved way back yonder and learned who
God was later. I don't believe you can be saved
not knowing who God is or who Christ is. It's kind of a question. A preacher told me that one time.
He said he's saved and he's five years old and he learned the
gospel a few years ago. Oh, I tell you this, the grace
of God, the free, unmerited grace of God, the sovereign grace of God. No one found grace in either
God. That's the grace of God. Huh?
The grace of God. That provides in a way, in a
way that Let God be God and justifies his holiness and righteousness
and provides through Jesus Christ his life and death, a holiness
and righteousness for sinners like me. That's the character
of God. That's the purpose of God. That's
the hope of the sinner and that's the song of the redeemed. Tune
in. If I could take this morning
a radio up here and tune in and go right on up and get the song
at the throne of God, you know what it would be? To Him who
loved us and washed us from our sins in His own precious blood,
to Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen! Amen! Amen! And every time you tune
in up there, that's what they'd be singing. A lot of people think
that When the journey's ended and this thing's all over that
we're going to spend the first hundred years in heaven forming
a line, passing out rewards, not so. From the moment that
the gates are open and they swing outward, ever. They're always open. From the
moment those gates are open. the name of Jesus will be praised. He'll be exalted and magnified.
And nobody's going to share that glory. Nobody wants to who knows
Him. What in the world would this
little candle do sitting beside the sun? Whew! It just frightens
me that anybody would think that anybody ought to notice a candle
when you've got the sun in its full power. All right, let me
wind it up by asking you to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 30. Moses
said something to Israel which Paul repeated in the book of
Romans. And he said it in Deuteronomy
chapter 30. Deuteronomy chapter 30. Have
you listened to me this morning? I know you have. You do so well. And I've presented three things.
I've said salvation is by the grace of God. Grace. Terry, if I made that
clear? Grace. You're a teacher. You're
a professor. If I've been a good teacher this
morning, you've understood. Grace. If I gave a test, you
could pass it, couldn't you? Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace. Righteousness in
Christ. Is that clear? God buys grace. through the death of his son
provided a righteousness, a holiness, imputed and imparted for us so
he could accept it. Is that right? That's very clear,
isn't it? And that's the issue. That's
the issue. I don't care if you've been a
Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Greek, Orthodox, whatever you've
been. It doesn't matter to me. You're just a sinner who needs
God's grace and a righteousness through the death of his son.
It doesn't matter whether you're Ninety years old or nine years
old, it doesn't make any difference. You understand what I'm saying?
If you understand it, you're responsible for it. All right, verse 11 of Deuteronomy
30. For this commandment, which I
command thee this day, that to believe on Christ, it's not hidden
from you, it's not false. It's not in heaven that you should
say, who will go for us up to heaven and bring it unto us?
We may hear it and do it. Where did that come from? You
ever read that before? Romans 10, who shall ascend into heaven? Who shall descend into the deep?
Moses said this way back out of Israel. He said, now the commandment
I've given you, it's not hidden from you. It's not far off. It's not in heaven that you should
say, who will go up there and bring it down? And it's not beyond
the sea that you should say, who will go over the sea for
us? People want to go to Jerusalem. All these preachers have got
a trip to Jerusalem. They're going over there to get something.
I don't know what in the world they're looking for over there. It's not over
the sea. If somebody should go and bring
me a vial of water from the River Jordan, or some dirt out of the
tomb, or a piece of wood off the cross, or a Bible with an
olive wood back, heathenism. Verse 14, the word is very nondivine. It's in your mouth and in your
heart that you may do it. If you sang that song, I'll go,
blessed be the fountain of blood, for a world of sinners redeemed. You said it. It's in your mouth. That's right. It ain't off up
yonder sky somewhere, see if we can see some clouds, it'll
make a face of Jesus. It's not over across the sea
somewhere in some old musty monastery, cathedral, where some silly old
man wears a silly old hat on top of his silly old head and
goes to crossing and throwing water and smoke on everybody.
It's not over there. It's in your mouth and in your
heart. That you may what? Put it off
till tomorrow. That's not what that says. That
you may give it some consideration if you like the preacher. That's
not what it says. Or that you may confess it when you and your
wife talk it over. No. Do it. Do it. Now see, he said, verse 15, I've
set before you this day, life and good, death and evil. And boy, I have been and I've
set it forth today. Life and good, where? In Christ. In the grace of God, providing
a righteousness for sinners through the death of his Son. And that
evil and death is for all who do not believe it. He that believeth
on the Son hath life, he that believeth not the Son shall never
see life, but death and evil." I don't see what the problem
is. This preaching, I just never have had any problem with this
thing of preaching the truth of God. I can't see where preachers
have any problem with it. If I can stand in 13th Street
Baptist Church and tell the truth on God, I will. If I can't, I'll
go play golf. It's just that simple. Artificial. I don't have
to preach. But if I preach, I have to preach
the gospel. I don't see what the problem is. You say, well,
you're trying to build a church, aren't you? No. He said, I'll
build my church. Well, it's not your business to build a church.
It's not your business to keep it together. He's the one that
lays the living stones in the temple and builds his church.
That's not our business. The business of the priest is
to fill this pulpit. It's the business of the people
to fill those pews. And he fills this pulpit whether they fill
them or not. But I just believe if he puts out some food up here,
somebody's going to be hungry and they're going to come and
eat. Yeah, I do. Nor is it my business to make
you believe this either. God will have to give you that
grace. Oh, may He do it. May He do it. Mike, let's sing
Amazing Grace. 236. Amazing Grace, how sweet
the sound. And it is sweet. And I tell you when it's sweetest
is when you're a wretch that's been found. When you're blind
and God made you see. That's saying it, 236.

I Do Not Frustrate the Grace of God

What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

How do we know Christ's death is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

How does grace relate to works in salvation?

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I Do Not Frustrate the Grace of God

What does the Bible say about the grace of God?

How do we know Christ's death is sufficient for salvation?

Why is the righteousness of God important for Christians?

How does grace relate to works in salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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